Dybkjær (ELDR). – (DA) Mr President, if there had been any doubt that this proposal for a directive were also about men and money, there was, in any case, no longer any such doubt when a number of jacket-clad men appeared on the rows furthest to the back during the discussion of this subject by the Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities. It was quite legitimate that they should be there, but also very instructive because, when it boils down to it, the proposal is about rectifying a situation in which women pay more, and obtain less, than men when it comes to life assurance, pensions etc.

When they came to my office with views opposed to the proposal, a number of insurance people said that they just wanted to see a fair system. It set me thinking about what is really meant by fairness. Their conception of fairness was obvious. It was quite fair that there should be solidarity among women and solidarity among men. This means, for example, that women who cannot have children have to pay for those who can, while, from this insurance point of view, the children’s fathers do not participate in any form of financial solidarity at all. I am of course in complete disagreement with the insurance industry. Equality is a fundamental principle in the EU. It is there in the existing Treaty and occurs again in the new draft constitutional treaty. It is also stated that the EU must take initiatives to remedy situations in which these principles are not being complied with.

I should therefore like to thank the former Commissioner for the work she has done in this area, and I now hope that it will get through the European Parliament and, subsequently, the Council. I should like to say that, in my view, there is much more at stake than just this proposal, for it is in reality the future of the EU that is at issue. The proposal demonstrates whether there is a link between words and action. When women now look at the ‘family photo’, it is difficult for them to identify with the EU they see there. If – and this can perhaps be excused – we in the Commission, the Council and Parliament show that we cannot even remedy an area such as this, there is no chance of getting women also to vote in favour of the future EU.